Two compartment syringe



pr R. E. PORTER ETAL TWO COMPARTMENT SYRINGE Filed June 14, 1965 MIXED MED/CA T/O/V DISPOSABLE H YPODERM/C NEEDLE Robert E. Porter C/oyd J Sarensen, Jr.

POWDEREO ME 016A TIOIV INVENTORS' United States Patent M 3,380,451 TWO COMPARTMENT SYRINGE Robert E. Porter and Cloyd J. Sorensen, Jr., both of 1734 Machado St., Oceanside, Calif. 92054 Filed June 14, B65, Ser. No. 463,520 Claims. (Cl. 128218) ABSTRACT OF THE DESCLOSURE A disposable syringe assembly comprises a syringe barrel separated into upper and lower material storage compartments by a slida'ble partition member in the form of a plug of resilient material having a central recess open to the upper compartment and at the bottom of which is a flap valve that opens only when the plunger that slidingly enters the open upper end of the barrel is pushed in to exert pressure on the material in the upper compartment. The plunger and partition member are so shaped that when the plunger has been pushed into engagement with the partition member all of the upper compartment material is forced through the valve into the lower compartment, and the plunger and partition member are locked together during mixing of the materials in the lower compartment. Then further inward displacement of the plunger moves the partition member down to discharge all of the mixture out of the barrel through the usual hypodermic needle.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a hypodermic syringe wherein the component parts are made from economical and disposable materials whereby the syringe may be thrown away after a single use thereof and pertains, more particularly, to a novel structural adaptation which permits and makes feasible the isolation of mixable medicaments which are capable of being intermixed and thus conditioned for use immediately prior to the injection step.

This invention, stated more explicitly, has to do With a single simple syringe and storage adaptation combined and which reduces to a minimum the steps which must necessarily be resorted to by the doctor or nurse in handling hypodermic injection procedures.

Briefly, the invention is characterized by a plastic or equivalent barrel of requisite cross-section, length and capacity which has a chamber which is open at the proximal end, that is, the end adjacent to the user. This end is also provided with a retaining flange while the distal or forward end is provided with an axially projecting and suitably bored neck which functions to discharge the mixed injection fluid. Insertable and removable divider means is slidingly and sealingly mounted in the chamber and when in a median position functions to normally divide the chamber into a first storing compartment for the dry soluble powder. It is in this compartment that the powder is stored in its intact but ready-for-response state. The divider means also defines a second compartment in which the piston of a manually operable plunger is slidingly mounted whereby to thus define an isolated compartment or space for the liquid diluent.

Persons conversant with the art to which the invention relates are aware that the provision of a dual compartment barrel having component parts and providing for isolated storing and keeping of rnixable powdered and liquid medication is not new and that, as a matter of fact, it is known that measured amounts of such medicaments may be stored and shipped to the pharmacist and stored by him until sale to the user and stored by the user until the time of use without any danger of impairing the the efiicacy or volume of the rnixable medicaments until such time as the injection step is required.

7 3,386,451 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 The present invention pertains to a simple floating or slidable divider which takes the form of a partitioning disk and which has a grooved peripheral portion slidable in sealing relationship with the interior of the barrel. This unit has a normally closed flap valve which is pressure responsive and a well or recess at the center which is fashioned into a receiver for a button-like coupling member on the piston of the aforementioned plunger.

It is submitted that the present invention can be relied upon to accomplish faster mixing of the diluent and powdered medication in that the only step required for mixing is pressure on the plunger which forces the valve to open and allows the diluent to enter the medication compartment to take care of the intermixing step.

Further novelty is thought to reside in a construction which makes for mixing procedure and wherein the plungers piston and the valved divider allows for locking into a single unit which permits the usual aspiration before hypodermic injection without backflow.

Further novelty is predicated on a structural adaptation which is possessed of a minimum number of component parts plus the needle assembly and which under the circumstances lends itself to economical manufacture and use completely as a throwaway or disposable syringe.

The invention is also susceptible of achieving the end result desired in that the-re is little or no waste of mixed medications particularly in that the piston plunges the divider clean down to the intake of the discharge orifice, that is, the orifice or passage leading from the powdered medication compartment into the aforementioned needle accommodation and supporting neck. Then, too, the simplicity of construction allows for use with standard and accepted hypodermic injection procedures and allows for rapid mixing and use of many types of injectable medications used in acute medical emergencies as well as eliminating the possible contamination through several mixing steps.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in section and elevation with the divider means and plunger means omitted and simply showing the barrel and the powdered medications;

FIGURE 2 is a view in section and elevation but with the valved divider means, the diluent and plunger means added;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 and which shows the step wherein the liquid diluent and powdered medication have been mixed or combined and thus readied to be agitated by shaking preparatory to the injection step and which also shows the disposable hypodermic needle with the protector shield in position thereon;

FIGURE 4 is a view wherein the plunger, that is the piston, has been moved to its final ejection step; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the divider.

Referring now to the views of the drawing with the aid of reference numerals it need not be repeated, of course, that the component parts which are used in perfecting the overall adaptation are made from suitable plastic or economical disposable material. The elongated cylindrical barrel is denoted by the numeral 6 and the chamber therein is denoted at 8. The leading or distal end is denoted at 10 and is provided with a discharge neck or nipple 12 having a discharge passage or bore 14. The numeral 16 designates a closing cap which may be of a suitable snap-on type (not detailed). The rear ,open end 18 referred to as the proximal end is provided with an outstanding encircling and holding flange 20.

With further reference to FIG. 1 and continuing reference to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the forward or distal end portion of the chamber is charged with a prescribed powdered medication or medicament which is denoted generally at 22. As shown in FIG. 2 the partitioning and divider means for the chamber 8 is denoted generally by the numeral 24 and when it is in the operative position shown in FIG. 2 for instance it functions to divide the chamber 8 into a compartment in which the powdered medicament is isolated and it also defines and provides the upper compartment in which the liquid solvent and diluent 26 is stored and isolated. Manifestly, in order to complete the diluent compartment it is necessary to provide closure means for the otherwise open upper end 18 of the chamber and this is accomplished by using a manually operable plunger assembly denoted at 28 and characterized by a piston 30 slidable in the chamber and an operating rod 32 provided on its upper end with an appropriate handling knob 35. This piston, it should be noted, is marginally grooved as at 34 to provide the desired sealing action and result. The piston is also provided with a button-shaped boss or projection 36 which constitutes a detent. The upper end of the piston is also provided with a screw-threaded socket to accommodate a reduced screw-threaded connecting stud 38 on the piston rod. The boss 36 is adapted to project into and lock in a well or recess 40 particularly when the component parts are coupled together in the valve opening relationship shown in FIG. 3. It will be further noted that this partitioning and valving element is provided marginally with sealing beads or ribs 42. What is more important the valve is centrally provided with a pressure opened flap valve element 44.

The conventional or standard single use hypodermic needle is denoted by the numeral 46 and has an adapter and coupling member 48 at one end which is connectable with the neck 12 after the snapon cap or closure 16 has been removed. In practice the needle is provided, that is in the packaged ready-to-use stage, with an appropriate covering cap or shield 50. This is of any suitable construction in conformity with the illustration shown in FIG. 3.

It will be understood that the valving means prevents the diluent from mixing with the powdered medication until the proper time, which is just prior to initiating the action of the mixed medication into the patient. When pressure is applied to the plunger the valve opens and remains open as long as the pressure is applied and until the plunger tip or boss engages the recess 40 in the valve element. It is further evident that the liquid and powder are mixed and then shaken together until completely mixed. The injection is made in the manner indicated in FIG. 4 wherein the plunger serves to express the mixed medication into the patient. It will be noticed that the fiat bottom on the interior of the end 12 permits the desired follow-through and full expunging result desired.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A disposable syringe assembly of the type wherein two separate materials such as a powder and a diluent therefor may be maintained stored in separate compartments but may be readily mixed within the syringe and the mixture disposed for immediate ejection from the syringe at a desired time of use, said assembly comprising a hollow syringe barrel having an open upper end slidingly receiving a plunger and a lower end that is apertured and formed for connection to a hypodermic needle, an operating rod fixed to said plunger and extending through said open upper end of said barrel, a partition member in said barrel separating the barrel into a first fluent material storing compartment between the partition member and the plunger which serves as a closure therefor and a second fluent material storing compartment between the partition member and the lower end of the barrel, said partition member being slidably mounted in fluid tight engagement with the inner wall of said barrel and having a valve that opens in response to plunger actuated pressure increase of the material in the first compartment to discharge the first material into the second compartment for admixture with the second material, cooperating interlocking formations on opposed surfaces of the plunger and partition member whereby upon movement of the plunger into engagement with said partition member during a first phase said plunger and said partition member will be locked together to enable said plunger and said partition member to move together during a second phase of plunger movement toward the bottom of the barrel for discharging the mixture in said second compartment through said needle.

2. The syringe assembly defined in claim 1, wherein said partition member is a plug of resilient material, wherein said interlocking formation on said partition member is a central bore, and wherein said valve is an integral uni-directional valve flap at the bottom of said bore that opens only in response to fluid pressure from the upper compartment side of the partition member.

3. The syringe assembly defined in claim 2, wherein said partition member is a plug of resilient material, and said cooperating interlocking formations on the partition member and plunger comprise an upwardly open recess in the partition member and a projection on said plunger adapted to snugly fit into and occupy said recess.

4. The syringe assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said interlocking formations interfit with each other to provide during said first phase for the discharge of substantially all of the material in said first compartment into said second compartment.

5. The syringe assembly defined in claim 1 wherein further cooperating formations on the opposing surfaces of said partition member and the lower interior of said barrel provide during said second phase of plunger member movement for the discharge of substantially all of the mixture in said second compartment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,563,627 12/1925 Hein 128218 2,591,706 4/1952 Lockhart 128--272 2,842,127 7/1958 Everett 128-218 2,590,900 4/ 1952 Sommerstein 128-272 FOREIGN PATENTS 961,289 I 4/1957 Germany.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

D. L. BAKER, Assistant Examiner. 

